10 Famous Photographs You Didn't Know Were FAKE

10 Famous Photographs That You Didn’t Know Were FAKE

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at 10 Famous Photographs That You Didn’t Know Were FAKE.

For this list, we’ll be considering the most iconic historical images that underwent some form of manipulation.

Which of these did you find the most shocking? Let us know in the comments!

#10: Ulysses S. Grant’s Civil War Photograph

A picture emerged around 1902 depicting former U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War. Grant was a celebrated veteran, whose leadership of the Union Army helped secure their victory in 1865. However, this image of him atop a horse seems to have been doctored by photographer Levin Corbin Handy. It’s an impressive composite for its time, given that Photoshop wouldn’t be invented for another 85 years. The background is a picture of the battle at Fisher’s Hill in 1864, while the body and horse reportedly belong to Union General Alexander McDowell McCook. Although the head is actually that of Ulysses S. Grant, it seems to have been taken from a different portrait of him, standing by a tree.

#9: The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

Unfortunately, we live in a time where legitimacy is often in question, as is inevitably the case with hoax photographs. In 2004, a devastating tsunami took the lives of over 220,000 people around the coasts of the Indian Ocean. This widely circulated image of the coast, pictured just before tragedy struck, was later discovered to be slightly altered, as well as used to misrepresent the catastrophic event. In reality, it was a photograph of high tide on the coast of Chile, with exaggerated waves photoshopped into it. At least one tsunami expert stated that the image clearly does not show a tsunami, as recent waves were neither that high nor did they break as the one pictured.

#8: “Valley of the Shadow of Death”

It’s surprising how many striking wartime photographs are actually doctored or staged. During the Crimean war in 1855, Roger Fenton took this image, which is considered to be one of the oldest wartime photographs in existence. It’s a lonely picture of post-battlefield litter; cannonballs lie strewn about, on the road and in a ditch, presumably having injured innumerable soldiers. However, a little digging would reveal that this photograph, known as “Valley of the Shadow of Death” was actually one of two taken of the same field, on the same day. Apparently, all the cannonballs were in the ditch originally, which is shown in the first picture taken. Fenton then moved some of them onto the road, before taking the second, more popular photograph.

#7: “Spirit Photos”

Whether this was a good thing or not is debatable, but what we do know is that William H. Mumler’s “spirit photographs” were fabricated. The good part was the comfort it brought to the grieving. The questionable aspect is that the images were falsely represented as genuine, with a little creativity and early use of double exposure. Mumler was even visited by Mary Todd Lincoln, who he famously took a photograph of, purportedly showing the specter of her late husband, Abraham Lincoln. The ruse is obvious to the modern eye, but back then Mumler made a successful business out of it. That is, until his pictures were found to be fabricated and he was charged to court for fraud and larceny.

#6: National Geographic’s Egypt Cover

Even some of the world’s famous photography magazines are guilty of image manipulation. In 1982, National Geographic’s February issue featured a story titled “Egypt’s Desert of Promise.” The cover showed three figures on camels in the foreground, with two of the Great Pyramids behind them. Keen Nat Geo readers noticed a slight issue: the pyramids were a little too close together. The magazine confessed to having altered the image slightly in order to fit into the vertical orientation of their cover page. For an organization known for its award-winning photographs, this was frowned upon by readers. Since the incident, National Geographic seems to have created a rigorous process to ensure their pictures are always original and undoctored.

#5: Fidel Castro & Carlos Franqui

Historical photos aren’t necessarily always accurate either. A common practice for dictators especially was having their enemies or opponents airbrushed out of archival pictures. Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were two such figures who were known to do this, in an older version of “ghosting” perhaps. The Cuban government was also guilty of this practice, as is seen in this image of Fidel Castro, Carlos Franqui and another associate of theirs. A journalist and political activist, Franqui was an early ally to Castro and once served as editor of the regime’s newspaper, Revolución. After many disagreements with the Cuban government, Franqui was exiled, branded a traitor, and subsequently removed from early revolutionary photographs.

#4: The 9/11 “Tourist”

The 9/11 terror attacks spawned a whole new level of conspiracy theories and falsified information. Among these was a photograph seemingly depicting an unfortunate tourist on top of the World Trade Center with an incoming plane in the background. After some sleuthing, it was discovered that the man in the photo was a Hungarian named Péter Guzli. Apparently, Guzli had altered the picture to share with friends as a joke, only for it to go viral after finding its way on the internet. A number of inconsistencies in the image were noted, such as the weather and placement of the man relative to the towers. However, for such a turbulent period, it’s no surprise many initially believed it to be legitimate.

#3: Raising a Flag Over the Reichstag

Pictures of flags being hoisted can be powerful statements, yet sometimes they’re not quite what they seem. Taken just 2 days after Adolf Hitler’s demise, this photograph of a Soviet flag being raised over the Reichstag was taken by Yevgeny Khaldei, a Soviet soldier. The image itself is mostly genuine but the small details, unfortunately, are not. It would seem that certain effects were adjusted to exaggerate the tone of the scene. Also, some objects were reportedly removed, such as a wristwatch from the right arm of the other soldier. Though this information is debatable, it seems the wristwatch was brushed off to hide a possible looting, considering the fact that the soldier was wearing another watch on his left arm.

#2: “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper”

Remember those poster sales at your college or university? If yes, then you likely know this picture, as it always seemed to be in there somewhere. “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” was taken in 1932, 69 floors above ground during the construction of the Rockefeller Center complex in Manhattan, New York. While many believe it to be slice-of-life, in actuality, the photograph was staged, as it was part of a publicity campaign for the new building. The men pictured were actual workers who had become accustomed to daily high-rise scaffolding walks. Multiple images were staged and captured that day, including the men taking naps on beams and tossing a football. Regardless, this photograph remains a cherished piece of history.

#1: Raising a Flag on Iwo Jima

Look familiar? That’s because the Soviets weren’t the only ones taking photographs of flag-raising. This Pulitzer Prize-winning picture has become a piece of Americana, an iconic image of victory. Perhaps a little known fact, however, is that this photograph depicts the second flag to be planted on Mount Suribachi following the victory at Iwo Jima in 1945. The first flag was significantly smaller, and caused the raisers to be fired upon when the cheering from the Americans on the beach below alerted the enemy to their location. A replacement was taken to the top of the mountain afterwards and raised in the first flag’s place. This larger second flag was more visible from a distance, and was captured by photographer Joe Rosenthal.